Monday, 27 August 2018

I just thought I would share with you a recent mosaic commission of mine. As I often think with my work, there is never a dull moment, and this particular job certainly shows that!

Following a telephone enquiry, my client asked for a mosaic doorstep for her house in the UK reflecting its name - Observatory House. By making it on cement board, using porcelain tiles, exterior grout and sealing it, this was something I could make for her, ensuring it was as enduring as it could possibly be. We offered two options - two pieces or a triptych design, including two alcoves - she went for latter - see below.

The installation was being done by her own builders - all we asked for were accurate measurements for the doorstep and a flat surface for it to be laid on.

My client was also celebrating her Ruby wedding anniversary, so she asked us to look into the possibility of showing constellations in the approx place they would have been on their wedding day forty years ago. An interesting challenge... But the internet can be a wonderful thing, and we came up with the below constellation map for her. www.posterhaste.com (Excuse the creases - a lot of work, thought and rubbing out went into it!)

Once we had agreed that the constellations were as accurate as possible, we decided on the font for the text. As you can see, my client wanted Observatory House in Latin and we chose Alegreya SC Regular.

With the design agreed, I could then get on with the making, to be ready in time for my client's ruby wedding party - no pressure then! Below is the design drawn on the cement board. With the tiles having arrived, I was ready to go - let the snipping begin!

Here are a series of progress pictures ....

And there you have it!
My client also requested a display she could put up in her house with details of the constellations, how I made it etc ....

I hope you enjoyed hearing about this, my latest commission - I am so lucky to have such varied work, and I also know a lot more about the constellations now!
If you have a mosaic project in mind, do get in touch and we can discuss the possibilities - felicityball@justmosaics.co.uk

Until the next time,
Felicity x

PS I have just received the photos of the doorstep in situ - I'm really pleased with it.

Wednesday, 2 May 2018

Sorry for the gap between part 2 and part 3, but I was waiting for a photo of the marlin mosaic in situ to show you - I hope it is worth the wait!

After I had finished snipping all the tiles for the mosaic, I left it for a few days and gave it a good coat of looking. If a tile keeps catching my eye, it is not right and it comes out, however tricky that might be!

When I was finally happy with it all, I grouted the mosaic a section at a time with pre-mixed grey grout, which not only brings out all the colours, but adds an atmosphere of its own.

Then when it was cleaned and there were no spaces in the grout, I painted the sides and the back with weather proof paint to seal it, and with a final polish it was ready for packing and the courier.

My clients were kind enough to send me some photos of it in situ in their new kitchen.
What do you think?

Saturday, 3 February 2018

I am making good progress with my latest large mosaic commission - it really is a pleasure to make. I love choosing all the different coloured tiles from my large collection, and then cutting out the shapes, thinking of the atmosphere and movement I want to create.
First I finished cutting out and sticking the tiles for the marlin - I am really pleased with how he turned out.

In order to give the mosaic a 3D feel, I made the marlin separately and will then stick it onto the background board, when it comes to grouting the whole piece.

Moving on, I then chose the tiles for the sea, and prepared them by cutting them all into wave like shapes.

When I create a sea mosaic, I measure the area into three approximate sections and allocate three shades to each one. I blend each section into each other so they are not obvious. I start with darker smaller tiles at the top and finish with lighter larger tiles at the front, to give a distance perspective.

I also made some mirror tiles to give the effect of splashes of water.

... and here is the sea finished, with the marlin laid in place, to give you an idea of what it is going to look like, and the effect I want to create.

I would love to hear from you about what you think of it so far - and would be really grateful if you could share my blog with your friends and followers.

So, this is my first week of working on the marlin. My studio is all ready and I'm looking forward to starting.

I needed to have the wood cut to start with. I have used 9ml exterior plywood for it - I could have used mdf but I prefer to use wood if I can. The main board is 60cm x 90cm, which isn't far off the original marlin mosaic - see below. My clients didn't want a border for their commission, leaving more space for the fish, sea and sky.

I drew the shape of the marlin on the plywood, as I will be making this separately first, and then will stick it onto the background board to really give the mosaic the 3D feel of the marlin leaping out from the sea.

Once the marlin had been cut out, I sanded the edges and added the details of the fish as guidelines for when I mosaic. It is always exciting when I cut and stick the first tile!
I usually start a large mosaic by cutting and sticking shades of one/two colours first. With the marlin, I started with the fins and tail which are black and grey tiles. As I cut and stick, I am thinking of the movement of the fish, and the light catching the fish as it jumps from the sea. I use the spaces between the tiles as well to create this movement.

This is how it looks so far, as I gradually build up all the different movements, textures and colours in the fish.
Next week, I shall fill in the rest of the fish, with the eye and the mouth always being the most difficult parts! Look out for my next post and see how it takes shape.

Many thanks for reading, and it would be great if you could share it with your friends and followers,
Felicity x

Saturday, 30 December 2017

As 2017 comes to an end and I have had a lovely Christmas break with my family and friends, I am starting to look ahead to what 2018 has in store for my mosaic business.

I spent the last few months of 2017 making a lot of smaller mosaics for Christmas presents, which was great and I feel very lucky to have been so busy. But the beginning of 2018 brings something very different - a large fish commission for a client's kitchen. So, the first few months will be taken up with one mosaic. I am very much looking forward to making it, and having the time to immerse myself in creating a large work of art.

The commission came about from a phone call to my business line one day - 07944 635487. The caller said she had seen my work in a fish restaurant in Oxford, and had taken my card a few years ago. She and her husband were now in a position to commission a mosaic for their kitchen, and could they come a visit me at my studio? No problem.

They came here in early December to discuss what they wanted and if was possible (which of course it was!). They were particularly taken with the marlin mosaic (see below), which I was very happy to make for them - obviously it would be unique to them, but along similar lines. They especially liked the movement and lift of the marlin, and the splashes of light, which were hand made tiles.

Before we could go any further, my clients had to decide the size they wanted. I always suggest clients blu-tac a piece of newspaper on the wall to see what size would work in the proportions of the room. This is what they did, and emailed me a size, asking for a quote. We agreed on a price and up front deposit and I put their commission in my order book for the new year. Exciting!

So, blogger friends, I will attempt to give you a weekly update on the progress of the marlin and I would be really grateful if you could share it with your friends and followers - anything you can do would be much appreciated!

Many thanks, and look out for the first post in the first week of January as I get started. Look forward to hearing from you,

Wednesday, 4 October 2017

As September passes each year, I start thinking about making mosaics for Christmas presents. Too soon, I hear you say! Well for me, it isn't, I'm afraid - I love my work but it does take time to make, and there is only me snipping away in my studio. The thought of not having orders made and ready for my clients' Christmas presents is not a good feeling, so I have learnt that lots of lead up time is the answer!

I'm not sure how many orders I receive from you all in blogosphere, but I hope you don't mind me reminding you to give me lots of time if you are one of those lovely people who keep me busy here in my Bristol studio! I ship my mosaics all over the world, so need even longer to get them to you in time, please.

As you know from past blogs, my mosaics are infinitely versatile, and I am always up for a challenge - so do take a look at my website and see what I can do, and beyond ...! www.felicityballmosaics.com
In these photos, I've just given you an example of some of what I make, but if you have something something/different in mind, email me, and we can discuss the possibilities - felicityball@justmosaics.co.uk

It would be great if you could pass this post on to your friends and followers and make this the best and busiest festive season ever for me!

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

I often ask people who buy my mosaics to send me photos of the mosaics in situ. Partly, of course, because it is lovely to see where they finally rest, and to see how they look - and also because it gives people who are thinking of buying or commissioning a mosaic how it might look. Often we don't purchase a piece of art, no matter how much we are drawn to it, because we are not quite sure where to put it. Hence the photos in situ. I have a large collection of them now but have just chosen a few for you to have a look at, with a little explanation of each underneath.

This is a Kandinsky inspired mosaic hangs in our kitchen, and lifts my spirits every day!

Two very different mosaics in this bathroom - on the left a wave mosaic which is just tiles and wood. On the right is a Moroccan inspired mosaic in which I have used a Mediterranean blue grout.

To the left of the door of this Coastguard's Guard cottage, is a exterior mosaic of a local scene in Devon.

In this church, I mosaiced the inside of the font and made matching wave panels each side.

See one of my garden benches nestling in this garden - a work of art, and so useful!

I made two landscape mosaics for this client who had a lot of wall space and wanted something interesting to look at while she sat at her patio table

Here is an exterior poppy mosaic to add to my client's collection of wall art.

It was hard to choose just a few examples - but I hope this gives you a small idea of how versatile my mosaics are. If you have an idea, and would like to commission one, it really is easy - just email me - felicityball@justmosaics.co.uk- and we can discuss the possibilities. If you want to get some idea of what it might cost, do visit my website and see all my work there for more details - www.felicityballmosaics.com

Many thanks for reading, and I would really appreciate you sharing my mosaics with anyone you think might be interested.

Tuesday, 23 May 2017

Just to give you an update on the tricky Roman mosaic table commission...
It is now finished and ready to sit at, with a glass of something lovely ..!
Before packing it up for the courier to take it to its new home, here is a photo of it for you.

On the subject of mosaics being finished, after a lot of thought and work, I finished the mosaic garden water feature recently - it was, it is fair to say, a labour of love, and luckily, I love it!

It's very satisfying when you finish something that has taken a long time, and even more satisfying when you are pleased with the result - so all good!

Thursday, 20 April 2017

As in life, things don't always go right, and I have experienced that recently with a commission to make a Roman design mosaic table.

To start off with, it is a different style for me which I was/am excited to try - I always like a challenge! The precise nature of a geometric design meant a lot more measuring and checking, which I thought I had done! Below is a design I found on Google images, which my client liked for the centre of the round table, so I sort of based my middle design on that.

Courtesy of Google images

My client wanted greys as a colour palette with blues and beiges. So off I went, drawing the design and starting to cut and stick the tiles.

Here is my original design, and the progress I made with cutting and sticking the tiles.

It all seemed to be going well, until I made the devastating discovery that what I thought was the middle, wasn't the middle, so when everything needed to be the right measurements, they weren't!
What to do? Nothing, but take every single tile off and start again!
The actual process wasn't as daunting as it sounds, and I collected each colour tile in a tub so I could reuse them in some shape on the Take 2 table design!
With some help from my husband who is very good at these things (and had pointed out the problem in the first place!), we now have a perfectly central design drawn, and it's time to start again.
Of course, it HAS to be right!

When all is completed, I will share the finished table with you, and hope you like the centred Roman mosaic design!

Do get in touch, and if you like my blog and mosaics, it would be great if you could share.
Until next time ..
Felicity

Saturday, 11 March 2017

Once in a while I am commissioned to make really special mosaics. Obviously, I feel that all my mosaics are special, but some just make my heart race as I make them.

So, a few months ago, I had an email from a chap who wanted me to make a mosaic for his girlfriend, saying 'marry me'. Well, I was so excited - what a lovely romantic gesture! We discussed all the details and designed a special motif together to fit in the mosaic - something special to them.

What an honour to part of such a special moment in a couple's life!

Anyway, I made the mosaic posted it off with all my good wishes and positive thoughts. I didn't hear for a while .... until yesterday, when an email told me the great news that all went well - she said YES, and seemed to like the mosaic too!

A bit about me ...

Hello - welcome to my blog! I am a mosaic artist working from my lovely Bristol studio. I create original, vibrant, funky mosaics to enhance any space - for homes, gardens and businesses, and perfect for unique presents! Join me on my blog journey of all things mosaic and beyond.. - you are very welcome!